


The Secret of the Mines

by Crossovers_and_Randomness



Series: Beyond the Universe [5]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Character Death, Gen, Minor Character Death, New Planets, Pain, Science Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:48:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 13,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24063100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crossovers_and_Randomness/pseuds/Crossovers_and_Randomness
Summary: The Doctor and Rey land on a forested planet somewhere in the future-and find themselves immediately separated, Rey on the surface and the Doctor in the heart of a mining operation below. As they search to reunite, they begin to discover that something lurks beneath the surface...and it seems Rey holds the key to the secret of the mines.
Series: Beyond the Universe [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1734793
Kudos: 5





	1. Prologue

“You deserve a planet.” The Doctor flung a lever forward and the TARDIS settled into place with a slight thump. “We’ve done past, past again, sometime in the 2000s, now you need to see the future. Or, well, slight future. Past, depending on your perspective. It’s all a bit relative when you consider it, you know?” Bounding past Rey, he flung open the doors with a flourish. “Welcome to the planet of—”

He froze.

She slipped her staff into its holster and stepped to his side.

“The planet of somewhere. Somewhere that is hopefully a planet. Probably is, considering there’s trees. Although—I have seen trees in space. Oooh, I have to show you the space forests of—”

“Trees?” She let out a little gasp and pushed past him. “You’ve landed us in a forest?” 

Her foot landed on crunching leaves. 

Tree trunks stretched away into the distance, green leaves flickering and fluttering in a whispering breeze. Sunlight and shadow played across the TARDIS and around her feet in ever-changing patterns. She tilted her face upward, nearly stumbling over her own feet as she tried to stare at the giant trunks.

“I’ve never seen trees so huge,” she murmured.

The Doctor leaned against the TARDIS, his arms crossed. “I’m just going to say this is exactly where I meant to take you,” he said with a grin. 

And then she was grinning. She clasped her hands together and let out a little giggle. “Thank you—thank you!” She tilted her head back again. The trunks shot up and away to a height that nearly made her dizzy. She wanted to grab onto the nearest branch and climb up, just so she could see the blue sky above. She could imagine the forest stretching out like a carpet before her, rolls and waves of green—

Her foot caught on a stick. 

She stumbled and her hand shot out. Her palm slammed into bark and she let out a little yelp. Steadying herself, she glanced at her feet. 

A tiny sapling poked from the ground, half-bent. 

“Oh!” She dropped to her knees, moving to straighten it, brushing a finger over the new-green leaves. White flowers spread out around its base, a whole carpet of them poking their heads through the brown leaves. 

Slowly, carefully, she reached to pick one. Desert flowers were tiny, nearly impossible to pick. She had always hesitated to touch them lest she destroy them between her fingers. 

They grew in the ruins sometimes. Somehow, it had always felt like hope. 

She held the little flower carefully between her fingers, gazing for a long moment at its fragile white petals. She could keep these in the TARDIS. She could dig up a few, maybe the Doctor could find a pot. A whole windowsill of little white forest flowers—the thought made her smile. She turned back to the Doctor—

The familiar sound of the TARDIS filled the forest.

She jumped to her feet. “Doctor?” The flower fluttered to the ground and she took off running. The doors slammed closed in front of her and she threw a hand forward, trying to catch hold of them. She thought she heard the Doctor shouting, footsteps pounding inside the TARDIS. Was that her name? Was he calling her name? She snatched at swiftly disappearing door handle—and her fingers slipped through nothingness. 

She stumbled, and fell to the forest floor where the TARDIS had been. 


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I actually have no idea what happened to BB8. I guess he decided to stay in the TARDIS for this one. #slightauthorfail :P

“LIFEFORM DETECTED IN SECTION 5.”

The alarm blared through Edrin Locovich’s office and he started and looked up. Section 5? No one had ventured into section 5 for over a cycle. Must be some sort of error.

“Repeat again?” He shoved the paper aside, sending a few of them fluttering to the floor. “You said section—”

“LIFEFORM DETECTED IN SECTION 5.”

He sighed. “Rescan,” he snapped. “There can’t be anyone in there.” _And if there was…._ he slammed his hands onto the table and muttered a sharp curse under his breath. If it was that blasted glitch again…

“LIFEFORM DETECTED IN SECTION 5. SCANS RETURNED NONHUMAN.”

“Non—what the?” He shoved his chair aside and approached the alarm console. “Did an animal wander in there or something? We’ve got to adjust the sensitivity on this thing. Alec!” He turned and strode to the door. It wouldn’t do to have the blasted alarms going off every time some fly moved. “Alec—”

A humanoid robot approached, hands held behind its back like a faithful servant. “Yes, Commander Lokovich?”

“Tell Richards I want to talk to her about the alarms.”

“Yes, sir.” The robot bowed, turned and started off down the hallway.

_Confounded alarms. Should just turn them off entirely for section 5._

But if Katerina had wandered down there…

But—it had said nonhuman.

He growled under his breath and took off after the robot. “You know what?” he shouted down the hallway. “Just take me to her office!”

“Yes, sir.” The robot turned a corner and came to an abrupt stop. “It seems Richards isn’t in her office, sir.”

“What the—”

A woman rounded the corner, dark brown hair pulled into a thick ponytail, lab coat so impeccably white that she couldn’t have been anywhere near a lab recently. “Commander Lokovich. It seems we have a bit of a problem with section—”

“Section 5,” he snapped. “I know. I have alarms in my office too, Richards.”

“You wanted to know why Richards wasn’t in her office, sir?” Alec tilted his head slightly to the side. “It’s because she’s right here.”

Edrin sighed and rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes, I know, I’m talking to her. Go re-oil yourself or something.” 

Alyssa Richards watched the robot stump off down the hallway with a sigh. “Alec, is it? I’ll never understand why you insist on naming them. They wear out after a few years, and you just get attached.”

“Because I can’t stand spouting off numbers every time I need assistance. Just tell me your end of the problem, alright?” 

“Yeah. I had it rescan probably five times. It says a nonhuman lifeform has been detected, and it won’t take no for an answer. Which…probably means it’s right.”

He huffed. “Fine. Send in a search team. Didn’t want to waste workers on what’s probably a fool’s chase, but if the blasted thing won’t shut up, we should probably do something about it.”

She nodded. “Yes, sir,” she said, and turned and marched away down the hallway.

* * *

“We found him in section 5, sir. No idea how he got in.” The worker twisted his hands together. Edrin could feel him avoiding his gaze. “It’s all a bit odd, it is, sir. There was no fissure so it wasn’t like an earthquake had dropped him there from the surface. And even if it had, medical has deemed him unscathed and he seemed—well, almost excited. Even when we told him it was a dangerous area. Introduced himself as the Doctor. Wouldn’t give any other name and made some strange comment about not _having_ any other name but I do wonder if he was a bit addled from the closed-off air. We’ve given him some time to rest, would you like to speak to him?”

Edrin waved a hand. “Yes, yes, bring him in.”

The worker nodded. “Yes sir, I’ll send him in sir,” he mumbled before turning hastily and bowing out, closing the door behind him.

Edrin slipped a sheath of confidential documents into a drawer and closed it with a click. The Doctor? What kind of man just called himself by a title, no name? And how had he ended up in the heart of the mines?

Just what he needed. Another odd mystery to solve.

He didn’t have time for mysteries.

He settled into his chair and leaned back. Well, he was the commander of this place, so he supposed he had to talk to the stranger. With any luck, it would be a short interview.

The door opened again and Alec entered, escorting a stranger behind him. He was tall with a long tan trench coat, a pinstripe suit, and brown hair that stuck out in all directions. Edrin sighed. He could _feel_ the eccentricity from here.

Wonderful.

“You must be Commander Edrin Lokovich!” The man stuck out a hand with a friendly grin. “I’m the Doctor, it’s wonderful to meet you. Afraid I stumbled into your mines in a rather unfortunate place, but you see my ship malfunctioned a bit, and—”

Edrin wave a hand. “Sit,” he snapped.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “Sit where?”

Blast it. He had forgotten to provide his guest with a chair. “Fine then, stand. You don’t seem to mind. As you know, these are my mines. They were established fifteen cycles ago.” He smiled, just slightly. “And they’ve been running with perfect precision ever since.”

The Doctor crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, leveling Edrin with a steady gaze. “Including that one section you had to deactivate?”

The smile disappeared. “Yes, yes, I know. That was an unfortunate incident. By no fault of my own, an earthquake took out the whole section. We had to shut it down. Outside of that—”

“Outside of that they’ve been running with perfect precision. Of course.”

Edrin pressed his lips together and pushed back the urge to snap at the stranger. He nodded curtly. “Of course. Now, Doctor whoever-you-are, I called you here to ask you a few questions. Your whole story will need to be verified, and I need details. What kind of ship could land you in the heart of the mines on a tiny planet on the edge of the universe?”

“Well…about that. My ship’s a bit odd, you see. It’s not just your ordinary ship—say, have you seen a young woman around here?”

Edrin raised an eyebrow. “Who’s asking the questions here—”

“Sort of short, brown hair, somewhat pretty, I think, by human standards. She—”

“I will answer your question when you answer mine.” 

The stranger raised an eyebrow. “And I’ll answer yours when you answer mine. Have you seen her?”

He fought back the urge to slam his hands onto the table and stand. “No,” he said through gritted teeth. “We have not seen a young woman around here anywhere. Now—”

Both eyebrows shot up. “We’ve got to find her, then! I think she got left on the surface—”

He kept his voice low with an effort. “If there is someone in danger, we will send out a search party. Now—”

“And bring her back to me?”

“Of course.” Whatever would get him to shut up and move on. “Now, I was asking—”

“And I was saying. It’s not your ordinary ship. It could land me on the other side of the galaxy with the flip of a button!” He waved his hand as if he were flicking a switch. “Although I like to think it’s a bit more reliable than that—”

“Sounds like you have a broken teleporter.” If that was all he could get out of the stranger, he would accept that. For now. Anything to end this infernal interview sooner. “Now. Have you got a name? The man said—”

“I’m the Doctor.” Something lit in his eyes and a grin spread across his face. He shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small wallet, flipping it open to reveal some sort of official credentials. “Doctor John Smith. I’m here to inspect the safety of these mines and I’d very much appreciate it if you’d give me a tour of the place.” 


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is what happens when a fantasy author tries to write scifi, lol. :P

“Doctor?”

Her voice sounded so small. Like the squeak of a tiny creature in the great forest that surrounded her.

She glanced around, taking in everyone in the flash of a second. Trees stretching away in all directions, fading to grey shadows. No paths that she could see. She pressed her hand against the ground, closing her eyes.

What did she think she was doing?

It wasn’t like she could sense the TARDIS. 

And yet…

“Doctor?”

The only answer was the echo of her own voice, fading into the shadows.

She stood, careful not to let the leaves crunch too loudly beneath her. She was on her own now, and who knew what kind of native life this planet held? Slipping her staff from its holster, she held it at her side.

What was she supposed to do now?

Just wander? Sit in the same place and hope the Doctor came back? Try to find some sort of civilization? 

Yes—she could do that. A stream, any body of water, and if there were people here, they would be nearby. Villages and outposts formed around sources of water. And if she was going to be lost in this place for a while, it might keep her alive. 

She closed her eyes and stood perfectly still. Listening.

Birds. A slight breeze whispering through the branches. An animal, nosing around through the underbrush somewhere far away. Another animal, a bird swooping through the trees, tree roots pulsing into the dirt, into the core of the planet, covering the planet’s surface like a shell—

Her eyes popped open and she gasped. She had seen the planet, felt the life, the trees, the forest, seen herself, _felt_ herself. Felt her own presence as if from the outside—she dropped to her knees and pressed her hands against the dirt. Could she do it again? Could she see the whole planet spread out before her like a holomap?

For a moment, stillness. Perfect, hushed stillness, broken only by the rustling of the leaves. And then—a presence. Something, nudging at her mind. Curious. 

She focused harder.

It slipped away like water through her fingers. She was kneeling, her hands buried in the ground. The trees were just trees, and the dirt was just dirt. 

And suddenly she felt rather silly.

She stood, grabbing her staff from the ground and slipping it back into its holster. She must have imagined it. This forest was driving her crazy. The half-light and the whispering of the leaves and—was that an animal, a human, an unfriendly native?

She had to get out of here.

She started forward at a half-run, ducking under a low-hanging branch. Anywhere….anywhere but these never-ending trees where she sensed presences that weren’t there and couldn’t tell the difference between a bird and a bear. Her staff smacked into a branch and she let out a yelp of frustration. Where was the Doctor? Where was the TARDIS?

Had he just left her?

He wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t do that. She drew her staff from its holster, repeating the words over and over to herself. He cared about her, he wouldn’t just take off. He had been shouting her name as the TARDIS was fading away. 

Surely he could find his way back?

What if he was in danger? She had to find him. What if he was trapped in some…some nether dimension or something? He had mentioned the void on Jakku….the place where the dalek had come from.

A knot settled in her stomach.

She had to find him.

She shoved a branch aside with her staff and froze.

Was that—water?

She closed her eyes, listening for a long moment—and then she was off, ducking under and between branches. The trees opened up and she skidded to a stop, gasping, gripping her staff. 

A round, blue pool spread out before her, and a presence rippled across it surface.

She blinked. No—it was just the water rippling in the sunlight. But something seemed to pull her forward….

Before she could stop herself, she was running forward, dropping to her knees before the jewel-blue water. 

She trailed her fingers along the edge, staring into the depths of the pool. Blue and green shadows flickered beneath the surface and sunbeams shot into the deep, shimmering, ever-changing. The bank fell away until it disappeared into blue. She leaned forward, staring deeper, deeper…

She jerked back with a gasp. Something was pulling her down, as if it wanted her to slip into the depths and go floating down, down, down, forever. Into the core of the planet. She edged back. She had to get out of here. She had to—

Ripples spread across the surface. 

She jumped to her feet. 

“No,” she blurted out. “No, I won’t. I _won’t_ listen to you—”

The ripples compressed and moved across the pool like a living thing, until they came to rest at the other end, bubbling. There was something almost happy about the way they moved about, like they were playing. She took a step forward, head tilted to the side, peering at them. 

Sun glinted like diamonds off of water, flowing and tinkling away through the trees. 

A stream!

She dashed around the edge of the pool and came to a stop by the tinkling stream. Finally! Finally, something real! Something she could follow! She took off at a run down the bank—and skidded to a stop.

She turned back, slowly.

And she smiled at the spring.

“Thanks,” she whispered, before starting forward again. 


	4. Chapter 3

“Energy, Doctor. Energy! Laced through the very fiber of the planet.” Edrin’s voice echoed down the empty hallway. “Enough to power machines, spaceships, anything! And…” He grinned, the clipped, polite smile of earlier disappearing entirely. “Doctor, I’ve got a monopoly on it.”

The Doctor glanced around, taking in everything as they walked. Plain metal hallways, the occasional undecorated door—pretty standard work base. Except that there were no workers. 

“Energy, eh?” Well, that would explain what had pulled his TARDIS away. Something in the energy of the planet had interfered with its homing mechanisms or its engines, perhaps. “Oooh, that’s fascinating. How does one go about mining _energy_?”

“I can show the mines first, if you’d like. I thought you’d want a general tour of the base, you know, the control center and the like. I apologize as it’s rather empty—most of my workers are in the deepest mines.” His footsteps clicked on the metal floor. “We’ve been drilling deeper in the last few weeks. It seems the deeper we go, the more energy we can extract. What would you like to see first, sir?”

He cleared his throat. “That’s _Doctor,_ ” he said. “And…” Where was Rey? Still trapped on the surface? Wondering where he’d gone? Lost? Had she somehow found a way into the mines? “A general tour of the top level first would be good, thank you. Is the whole operation underground, then?”

“Ah, yes. I apologize, _Doctor_. It’s a rather small operation, you know, as this is a rather small planet.”

“Is it?” He raised an eyebrow. “I—ahem—wasn’t aware of that.”

“Ah, yes. Very small. Nestled on the edge of the universe, only planet in its solar system. How much information were you given about the operation, Doctor?”

“Ah—ahem. Not…much.” The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at the ceiling. “Bit of a rush, you know. Just sent me off and told me to inspect the safety. Of the—ahem—mines. All a bit rushed—”

Edrin gave him a keen glance. “Sounds like your higher-ups aren’t very good at training their inspectors.”

“Ah, well. You see—”

Edrin came to a stop and turned away. The Doctor let out a little breath. This man was too perceptive. 

The commander pressed his hand against the wall. A door slid open to reveal, from the looks of it, a command center of sorts. 

“Control center. We’ve got cameras on all the mines and we monitor the alarms from here. Each section has its own control center of course but this is the top-level, big-picture one. I thought you’d like to take a look—”

The Doctor was past him in an instant. Alarms. Could he reverse engineer them to scan for certain DNA? He whipped his glasses from his pocket and slipped them on, reaching for his sonic screwdriver. Alarms—there they were. He stepped closer, examining them in a flash of a second. Yes—maybe he could. 

Wait.

What was that?

He nudged his glasses up his nose, looking closer. Hidden at the back, covered an endless pile of completely unnecessary wires and buttons that were most likely there just to look like they did something. There was something—something there—

He shoved his sonic screwdriver into the mass of wires.

“Ah, we should get going, shouldn’t we Doctor? I don’t want to take up too much of your time, you know.” Edrin stepped inside. “And besides, I’m not the one who runs the command center, I can’t tell you much. You should speak to Alyssa Richards for that—”

He edged the sonic screwdriver closer. Scan—scan for purpose—there we are. He was getting a reading—

It was a silencer. 

He pulled the sonic screwdriver back and stared at the reading. A silencer! A very deliberate, very focused silencer, meant only to silence one very specific aspect of the alarms. Now if only he could figure out _what_ it was silencing—

Edrin leaned against the desk, arms crossed. “Doctor. We’ve got some ground to cover, haven’t we?”

“Thought you said it was a small base.” He slipped the sonic screwdriver back into his pocket. There was only so much it could do. He needed to get his hands on the wires now, take the thing apart. “Which means we can spend as much time as we like, er, investigating each section, hmm?”

“I’m certain you’ll want to see the more….interesting aspects of the operation. You seemed quite curious about the particulars of mining energy—”

The Doctor leaned against the desk and crossed his arms. “What’s going on with these alarms?”

Edrin blinked.

A little smile twitched around the Doctor’s lips. He had got him.

“We had a malfunction.” He turned and started for the door. “The alarms have always acted a bit odd here, you know. Something about the energy of the planet, I think. Trying to register something that isn’t there. Now—” He started for the door. 

The Doctor didn’t move.

“I think I’m going to have to question you further about that one, Commander Lokovich.” He leveled Edrin with a steady gaze. “What do you mean by _trying to register—”_

Steps echoed in the hallway, and a young woman skidded to a stop in the doorway.

Blond waves framed a pointed face and large, sky-blue eyes stared at them before glancing away. 

“Father,” she said, and her voice was low. “I’m terribly sorry—”

“Katie!” Suddenly the clipped, polite smile had returned. “Doctor, I’d like you to meet my daughter, Katerina Lokovich. She adds a woman’s touch to the base. Katie, this is—”

“Doctor?” She looked at him, pulling her thick fur coat closer about her thin frame. Her large blue eyes seemed to grow even larger, and for a moment she looked like an eager child. “You’re a Doctor, then? Maybe you can help!” 


	5. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stick to Rey a lot, but writing from the Doctor’s POV is actually pretty fun!

“He’s not that kind of doctor,” Edrin snapped, brushing past his daughter and out into the hallway. “And I’ll thank you not to interfere in my business matters.” He turned to the Doctor with a plastic smile. “I’m terribly sorry. Now—”

The Doctor held up a hand.

“I can assure you,” he said, stepping past the commander and leaning against the wall, arms crossed, making eye contact with those wide blue eyes, “I am definitely, positively _that kind of doctor._ ” He lowered his voice and smirked a little, a smirk meant just for her. “Your father thinks I’m an inspector, and I am, you know, of sorts. But I’m also the Doctor. Which means—”

Edrin cleared his throat. “Katie, please. We have business.”

“You do?” The Doctor sent a raised eyebrow his direction. “I wasn’t aware of that.”

Edrin sputtered, opened his mouth, then closed it. 

The Doctor turned back to the young woman, a little grin twitching at his lips. Ah, that was clever. Edrin would be standing there for a good minute trying to figure out what he meant by that. “Now,” he said. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“You mean my father hasn’t?” Her voice held a hint of bitterness.

“Don’t believe he has.” 

Her eyes flashed. She crossed her arms and leveled her father with a sharp glare. “Then I’ll tell you, Doctor. It’s the earthquakes.”

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “Now, I’m assuming you were planning on telling me about that, seeing as I’m a safety inspector and all?”

He waved a hand, never looking away from his daughter. “Yes, yes, of course.” His gaze turned steely. “But since my daughter has forced my hand, I suppose I should explain now. It’s not really a large safety hazard, you know—”

“Not a large safety hazard!” She glanced between Edrin and the Doctor, eyes blazing. “Two people have _died_!”

“Which I am very sorry for. But the problem has been rectified, and you know this. I’ve told you a thousand times.” He turned away, setting a hand on the Doctor’s arm. “Now. Doctor. I’m very sorry. She’s been….odd….lately. Now, we should be going—”

The Doctor didn’t move.

“Oh? Do tell.”

“I’m going to assume you’re asking about the earthquakes, since you most likely didn’t come here to discuss my family problems, Dr. Smith.” Edrin’s voice was sharp. The Doctor opened his mouth to retort that he was not, in fact, asking about the earthquakes and that his family problems actually seemed rather interesting, but the commander continued without even taking a breath. “We’ve been having issues with earthquakes lately. We’re still working on determining the cause. But we’ve implemented proper safety measures—”

“Just recently, eh? Now that _is_ odd.” He let the commander lead him down the hallway, shooting a glance back at the girl to encourage her to follow. “Almost as if something’s triggered them?”

“I’ll thank you not to try to solve the scientific mysteries of the universe, Doctor. Now—”

“Oh, but I _like_ solving the scientific mysteries of the universe! It’s my absolute favorite pastime. When I’m not….” He frowned. “Repairing the time-space continuum or rescuing small children in danger or meeting historical figures, you know.”

“Doctor.” Edrin came to a stop and leveled him with a steely glare. “I’m beginning to think you’re not an inspector at all.”

“Now, why would I pretend to be an inspector? What good would it do—”

“I can tell you at least ten reasons why you would pretend be an inspector, not the least of which centers around the fact that you’re obviously completely insane! Maybe you’re better off keeping company with my daughter, after all!”

“Ohh, is she insane too?” His lips twitched in a grin. “Well, now I’m curious.”

“Father says I am.” She pulled her coat closer about her, and it seemed to swallow her up. “But I’m certain I’m not.”

He held up a finger. “Well, now that’s debatable. Insane people don’t usually think they’re insane, do they?” He tossed her a wink. “That’s the thing about me. I know I’m insane, and I don’t let it stop me for a moment. Although….that would mean I’m not, wouldn’t it? Ah, that’s a bit of a loop. Anyway—do tell. I’m terribly curious now.”

“I think….I think it might be better if I _show_ you.” She reached out as if to grab him by the hand, then turned away, a light flush coloring her cheeks. “Could you…come with me?”

He grinned. “Ah, now we’re getting somewhere. Somewhere considerably more interesting than the business documents and oddly-wired alarms your dad seems to like. Edrin….?” Ah, he wasn’t going to come with them. _Don’t know why I bothered asking._

“I’ll leave you to your insanity,” he snapped. “It’s high time we get the mines started for the day.” Turning, he marched off down the hallway.

The Doctor held out an arm. “Shall we, milady? Lead the way.” He grinned. “Allons-y!”

She looked up at him, and for the first time, a small smile touched her lips. “Alright. It’s this way.” 


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter possibly consists mainly of me having fun writing descriptions. :P

Bubbles and ripples played in the water at her side as Rey trudged through the underbrush. How long has she been following this stream? Her shadow shot out long behind her, cut by the shadows of trees and branches, and the light was beginning to turn yellow. 

“Doctor?”

Her voice bounced away into the forest and disappeared. Water tinkled at her side, a breeze whispered in the trees, her feet rustled the underbrush—and far away, a lonely evening bird let out a long, mournful cry. 

Oh, it was useless now. And yet, she kept calling for him.

“Have you seen the Doctor?” she asked the stream at her side, for what must have been the hundredth time. It had _spoken_ to her earlier, those rippling bubbles at the spring. It was alive—she knew it.

And with every step, she could feel the strange force rippling beneath her.

She dropped to her knees, trailing her fingers along the water. _What are you?_ But there was no answer, no sound but the constant bubbling and tinkling. 

_Atlantis…watery spirits…._

Something rippled beneath her and she jumped back. Had she caught onto it? Was it about to rise from the water and engulf her like it had on the island? But no—this was different. It wasn’t talking to her.

Whatever it was, it was in pain.

It rippled along the ground—no, beneath the ground, a flowing current of pain. She stumbled backward, pressing her hands over ears as if she could shut it out. A surge of agony knocked her to her knees and she struggled to draw a breath. _Please…please…whatever you are…can I help?_

It couldn’t hear her. Surges of shivering agony, like waves lashing at the ocean shore. She could feel it crying out, screaming and shivering. She jumped to her feet. She could feel its pain as if it were her own. She had to get out of here or it would—it would carry her away—

The forest floor surged beneath her, throwing her to her knees. The ground cracked and groaned and she shoved herself to her feet again—but the rolling and shaking sent her tumbling back to her knees, and then face forward in the leaves. 

She let out a little yelp and threw her hands over her head. The trees themselves seemed to groan in pain. She sent out fragmented thoughts— _help—I can help—what are you—who are you—_

And then the pain resided, and the ground was still.

She just lay there for a moment, drawing in ragged breaths, then raised herself to her knees. She had to get out of here. She couldn’t stay in a forest if this place had earthquakes. She shoved herself to her feet and took off running through the forest, following the sparkling, murmuring water of the creek.

A ray of sunlight burst through the trees in front of her and she ran faster, swerving through the tree trunks, one eye always on the creek. The trees thinned in front of her, and she thought she saw a golden expanse beyond them. She ran faster. 

Her staff caught on a branch and sent her flailing.

She let out a cry of frustration and snatched it from its holster, holding it at her side as she pushed forward. The sun hit her full in the face and she stood blinking at the edge of the forest. 

Tall grass rippled across a field, stirred gently by the breeze, ending abruptly at a line of cliffs which towered into the sky above her, their roots just at her feet. The sun cast long beams across the grass, making it glow golden and starkly highlighting every crag and crevice of the cliffs. The creek snaked out through the field, disappearing at the foot of the cliffs, sparkling like diamonds in the early evening sun.

She let out a little gasp.

“It’s so beautiful,” she breathed, just as if the Doctor were standing beside her.

She took a small step forward, making the grass rustle and whisper about her. It tickled her legs just slightly, and she let out a little giggle, reaching down and running her fingers over its soft tips. Still following the creek—where was she going? Maybe she could just stop here, lay down in this great golden field with the sun on her face and breathe in the beauty of it.

No—she knew better than to just lay down and take a nap in a completely unprotected location on a strange planet. Perhaps at the foot of the cliffs, she could take some shelter, rest a bit. Maybe find something edible?

Well—she shouldn’t trust plants on strange planets, and food wasn’t a problem. Yet.

Her stomach clenched.

She started forward, pushing through the grass by the creek. The cliffs loomed closer and closer until she stood in their shadow and they blocked out nearly all the sky above her. She traced the creek’s path—and froze.

It seemed to disappear into a dark hole in the cliffs.

She took a cautious step closer. A cave? She had never been in a cave before. A sudden desire to explore the underground recesses of the planet caught hold of her, and then she was running, almost laughing. A cave! 

Pain pricked at her mind.

She froze. No. No, no, no. The ground rumbled and she turned desperately. She was too close to the cliffs! There could be a rockslide, a collapse! She stumbled forward, fell to her knees, and jumped up again, wobbling in a zig-zag away from the rocks. The ground lurched and she slammed forward, rolling. Her head hit rock, and red flashed in front of her vision.

And then she was falling.

Falling, falling, rolling over and over and over as rocks tumbled over her and she was fairly sure she screamed but it was lost in the cracking rock. She grabbed her staff and held onto it like a lifeline, scrabbling for something, anything to hold onto—

She hit the ground with a crunch. Her vision closed in on her and the last thing she heard was water crashing. 


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why do my side characters always turn into my favorite OCs? *insert crying emoji here because I love Katerina a little too much*

“It’s been…the last few weeks, I don’t know what it is. It’s like…something’s trying to talk to me.” It sounded so crazy, saying it out loud. She drew into herself, turning away. Her father didn’t believe in anything outside of himself. She—well, she wasn’t so sure.

And she was even less sure after these last few weeks.

The Doctor stopped, leaning against the wall, one eyebrow raised. “Oh? Do tell.”

“You believe me, then?” Her voice was soft. “No one’s ever—”

“Oh, that’s a shame.” He never broke his gaze from her, and a little smile turned up his lips. “There’s just something…believe-able about you. Continue.”

“I’ll….I’ll wake up in the middle of the night, and it’s like….like I can hear something. But when I listen, it’s all so silent.” She turned away, closing her eyes for a moment. “It’s almost like….like it’s talking in my head. But that’s crazy!” she added quickly. “I know it’s crazy, and Father’s threatened to send me back home to be looked at but I know I’ve heard it, I know it.” 

“And what does it say?”

“It says….help.” She paced off down the hallway, wishing she could disappear inside her coat. “Always help. Crying out. Help, help, help. And then it disappears like…like a whisper of wind. I can’t quite catch hold of it.”

He held out a finger and motioned for her to come. “Come here,” he said. She took a cautious step closer—was he going to stare at her like her father always did? Just sit there, and stare until she felt like collapsing? And then he would shake his head and turn away without a word, leaving her to sit there, still withering from the force of his sharp gaze. 

But the strange man reached forward, and brushed a wisp of her hair behind her ear. 

Her breath caught. That was a—rather familiar gesture from someone she hardly knew. She looked up, eyes wide.

“Doctor?”

He pressed a finger against her temple and just stood there for a long moment. His hand was warm against her cheek, and his dark eyes—well, they looked like he had lived so long and seen so, so much. 

Suddenly, she wondered what he was. 

“Slight psychic ability.” He pulled back and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Thought so. Manifests occasionally in humans. Mostly just interpreted as perceptiveness until things like this happen. You’re picking up on some kind of outside force, something most people wouldn’t be able to hear or see. Now, the question is, what is it?”

She blinked. Was he saying she was psychic?

He was just as crazy as she was.

She smiled, just a little. 

“Ah, there’s that smile.” A little grin twitched around his lips and his eyes twinkled. “Something tells me nobody’s seen that in a while, hmm?”

She smiled a little more. Yes, she rather liked this odd stranger, who was definitely _not_ an inspector and possibly not even human. “Doctor…” The smile dropped. “Doctor, there’s more.”

“There’s always more.” He straightened, and he seemed to radiate eagerness. What had he said about a _slight psychic ability_? Did that mean she could sense things—people? She stared at him for a long moment. Yes, she was definitely feeling his emotions.

So that was how she had always known what kind of a mood her father was in, before he even sat down.

He whipped a pair of glasses from some hidden inside pocket and started forward. “Show me.”

She had to run to keep up with his long strides. “Left at the corner, then right, we’re getting to the edge of the base,” she panted. “And please slow down. I don’t have ridiculously long legs like you do. Anyway….you might want to keep an eye out. I think father’s got the staff trained to apprehend me. They all think I’m crazy too.” She smiled a little humorless smile. “I’ve…well, I’ve learned the backways.”

“Backways!” He grinned. “Backways are where all the best secrets are hidden.”

“Or worst…” She looked away. “That’s not all, you know. Waking up at night. Sometimes during the day, I’ll feel….like something’s tugging at me. Desperate. I think it’s in pain.” Her voice was soft, so soft she didn’t think he could hear her. “I don’t know, I…I can never get a hold of it.” She turned a last corner. “Here. We’re here.”

The metal hallway ended at the edge of a crevice, the edges cracked jaggedly as if it had been ripped open. Just as the shadows were beginning to recede into grey, the bottom could be seen, cracked and pocked with small, deeper crevices that led into blackness. Cold air seemed to flow from the opening.

She shivered and pulled her coat closer about her.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow and stepped closer to the edge, peering over his glasses into the abyss. She stepped to his side, keeping a few feet away from the edge.

“Doctor—do you see it?”

He nodded, eyebrows shooting up. Cracks and crevices formed words across the floor and up the walls.

_HELP._

_ALONE._

_HELP._

And—

She jumped back, her hand flying to her mouth. “Doctor!” The word came out in a little squeak. “That’s….”

He peered back down into the crevice. New cracks had formed along the far wall, spilling down onto the ground. K….A….T….

She closed her eyes, hugging her arms around herself. She almost couldn’t bear to look at it. 

“Katerina,” she whispered. “It says Katerina.” 


	8. Chapter 7

The noise—it didn’t stop. It pounded into her head like crashing hammers. Something cold—needle-like, icy cold—brushed along her fingertips. Hard stone pressed into her skull. She forced her eyes open.

Brown. Waves and rolls of brown, undulating and flickering. Her vision slowly came into focus, and she saw that it was stone. Cave. Crashing, falling, shaking. The memories came back to her in a flood and she sat up with a gasp.

She regretted it.

Her head throbbed and every muscle hurt. Her vision swirled and closed in again, blackness enveloping her—

She sucked in a deep breath and everything steadied.

She was sitting in a cave, the stone floor hard beneath her and stained with—was that her own blood? It trickled down a tiny decline and swirled into the edges of a blue pool. Her fingertips lay in the water, and after a long, long moment of simply staring, she realized that her hand was nearly numb from the cold. She drew it back, slowly. Blood dripped down her arm—a gash, probably from falling rock. Light filtered into the expanse in ever-changing beams, refracted from a waterfall which fell from high above and came crashing into the pool.

The creek.

She closed her eyes and remembered the creek, flowing into the cliffs. It must have dropped off into the waterfall right away. Sunlight. That was sunlight.

It was still day.

She drew in a deep breath and took stock of her surroundings. Her staff lay a few feet away, dropped there in the tumble. The only exit from the cave to the surface was the hole through which the water fell, and it was probably a hundred feet up, with no way to reach it. At the far edge of the deep, blue pool, the water trickled away into a jagged passageway which led into blue shadows, then darkness. The walls of the cavern were smoothed by age and swept up and away, the ceiling just receding into shadow.

There were no other exits.

She closed her eyes for a moment. She couldn’t swim—they had established that on Atlantis, and it wasn’t like she’d had any training since then. But perhaps the little stream was shallow enough to wade.

The pool certainly wasn’t.

For a long moment, she peered down into its blue depths. It seemed to glow with its own light, and as she followed the stream away into the passage, she realized that the blue glow followed it.

Something in the water?

She had stopped a few times to take a drink in the forest. Hopefully it wasn’t poisonous….

She pressed her fingers to her temples and took a deep breath. _Okay, now I’m going to stand._ She drew back, readying herself for the exertion—and noticed that her fingertips were stained red.

Wonderful.

She’d gotten a wound to the head.

She ran her fingers over her temples again and winced a little. Yeah—there it was. A rock must have hit her as she fell. She glanced at the blue water. Did she dare use it to clean her wound?

She dipped her fingertips into it. The blood seemed to swirl away the moment she touched it.

Well—she needed to get herself cleaned up. 

She leaned forward, swirling the water up her arms. She sucked in a sharp breath as it hit the gash, expecting pain—but an odd, cool sensation spread through the wound, and a blue glow lingered there for a moment before flickering away. Cupping her hands, she leaned forward and splashed it over her face.

She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. The headache seemed to have lessened, just a bit—and she felt as if she could stand. She grasped for her staff and slipped it slowly into its holster. 

If she skirted around the edge of the pool, she could follow the stream—somewhere.

For a moment, she just stood there, gazing up at the tinkling waterfall. It didn’t seem so loud, now that the headache had faded. The evening sunbeams seemed to lace through the water and flicker into the blue pool like a substance of their own.

She clasped her hands and felt a little smile tugging around her lips.

She had never seen a waterfall before.

She started around the edge of the pool, staring at the blue water. Yes—there was definitely something in the water that made it glow. Something that seemed to have healing properties. Though blood still seeped from the gash on her arm, it didn’t sting or throb like wounds normally did. 

She was just going to assume this was a good thing.

She came to a stop in front of the little passage. A blue glow lit the jagged walls, casting every crack and crevice in flickering aqua. The tinkling of water echoed off the walls and into the distance. 

Remembering the annoying squishing feeling of walking with wet shoes, she slipped off her shoes and slung them over her shoulder as she stepped into the stream.

She sucked in a sharp breath as her feet hit the water—it was so cold. After a moment of standing there, trying to breathe, her feet adjusted and she could walk forward, carefully, watching her steps lest she slip on some moss-covered rock and land on her bottom in the stream.

Soon, the only light was the glow of the water, and the crashing of the waterfall had faded entirely. The passage seemed to be headed steadily downward and soon she struggled to keep her footing on the ever-steeper slope. The water rushed about her feet, pushing her forward. She found herself listening for empty spaces, a trick she had learned when scavenging in the ancient ruins on Jakku. A slight change in echoes could herald a passage heading off in another direction. Surely there were other passages in this cave—

Ah, there was one—just up ahead. Yes. A jagged passage branched off and ran away into darkness. She stepped out of the water and ducked inside. Good—not so steep. She didn’t risk falling and tumbling downward. 

Although—she stared into the shadows and sighed. If only she had a light….

Wait.

Her eyes went wide.

She did have a light!

She leaned down and dipped her shoes into the water, filling them to the brim. She wasn’t sure if they would hold the water for long, but maybe the glow would be enough to light her way down the dark passage for a little ways, at least. With a regretful glance back at the tumbling stream, she started off down the passage, into the shadows.

Her shoes left a trail of blue drops behind her, like tiny jewels on the floor. 

She wasn’t sure how long she walked, the blue glow of her shoes casting gentle shadows off the walls. This passage, too, sloped downward, but the slope was steady and she could easily keep her footing. She found herself wondering what time it was now, on the surface. Had the sun set, and were the stars beginning to peek out over the forest? Were the nightbirds beginning the sing?

Where was the Doctor?

“Doctor?”

Her whisper echoed down the passage and faded away.

The headache throbbed at her temples, radiating through her skull with every heavy step. When had it come back? Her fingers tightened around her shoes and she shook herself.

Where was she?

She glanced behind her. The passage curved away and disappeared into darkness, the trail of glowing drops fading and finally disappearing. 

“Doctor?”

Why did she keep asking for him?

It wasn’t as if he was going to answer. Not now.

Her head drooped forward and she stood up straight with a start. Everything in her felt heavy, like the floor was drawing her down. She wanted nothing more than to just sit down, even lay down, though the floor was hard. How long had she been walking, how many times had the passage circled around itself? 

Where was she?

Walking in the stream, she hadn’t felt it, the ache from the tumble. But now—everything hurt. Clutching both shoes, she forced herself forward. If she sat down, she could lose all chance of finding something—anything. Could she find her way back to the pool and the waterfall, or had she turned off into another passageway? How many other passageways branched off in different directions?

She reached out a hand to steady herself against the wall—and both shoes slipped to the ground, the water swirling away down the passage.

For a moment, she stared numbly at it. The light began to fade, the shadows about her growing darker and darker—and then the last drop twinkled out.

She stood alone in darkness. 


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had way too much fun with this chapter lol

She dropped to her knees, grasping for her shoes as if they were her only hold on reality. She squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again. The darkness was so thick she could almost feel it—she stared into it for a long moment, trying to make out something, anything. She turned both shoes over and shook them at the ground.

A few, tiny drops fell from them, glowing like jewels before they trailed away and left her again in darkness.

She sat down with a thump.

Everything in her wanted to stay there, to not move for hours, days. She felt heavy, and even the hard ground seemed comfortable compared to the thought of standing, and forcing herself to walk. But—she had to do something. She couldn’t just sit here—no one would ever find her.

Slowly, she slipped her shoes back on. They squished as she forced herself to her feet, sending out glowing droplets like sparks. The stream. If she found her way back to the stream—

Something nudged at her mind.

She blinked. _Hello?_

Again, that nudge.

_Hello? What are you?_

Whatever it was, it didn’t seem to understand her words. But the nudging grew stronger, urging her forward down the passage. She could feel the walls about her, like a presence. Something was calling her.

The presence grew stronger as she walked, and soon, she was running, her footsteps echoing far ahead of her, following the feeling like a lifeline. The passage twisted and turned and the stone floor grew steeper and steeper beneath her until she was half-running, half-tumbling downward. The ceiling opened up with a suddenness that made her gasp, and she stumbled forward and fell to her knees. She just sat there for a moment, her hands pressed into the stone, gasping. She could feel the giant space surrounding her, a cavern where every breath and tiny movement echoed. She ran her hands over the floor around her. It seemed flat—

The presence flooded into her mind like a broken dam, nearly knocking her to the floor again.

“Whoa!” She jumped to her feet, throwing her hands in front of her as if she could stop it. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you? Where are you?”

No answer, just the ebb and flow of the strange presence within and around her.

Wait.

Could she only talk to it with her mind?

_What are you?_

_Who are you?_

The answer rumbled through the ground, up to the impossibly high ceiling, vibrated through the air. It wasn’t so much a word as a big, bubble-like idea that filled up her mind until she thought she couldn’t contain it anymore. 

_Alone._

_Alone?_

_Alone._

“But what—” Wait. _But what are you?_

A sense flooded through her, an unmistakable sense of _self._ It was as though, whatever it was, it was simply saying _I am me._

She blinked.

 _Yes, but what—that’s rather obvious, isn’t it? What are you? Where are you? Do you have a body?_ A shiver cut through her. The creatures in the Revolution. But what could be so powerful that it could shake the very air with its thoughts? So powerful that she could feel it, even on the surface of the planet?

Maybe she shouldn’t be speaking to it.

 _Please._ It wasn’t so much a word as a feeling. A need. Something grasping for her, something desperate. _Please stay._

She started. Could it sense her like she could sense it?

A waterfall of images and jumbled words cascaded into her mind. _Core. Close. Here. Rey. Rey, standing above a floating orb. Standing above me. Standing on me. Katerina. Rey? Rey. You are Rey._

Almost like it was testing it. Playing with it.

Like small child, learning to speak.

A smile quirked at her lips. _Yes, that’s my name. What’s yours?_

Confusion. 

She squeezed her eyes shut. _Alright, let’s try something a little easier. Where are you?_

_Beneath you._

Now she was getting somewhere! Her eyes popped open and she looked at her feet. Darkness. She stomped her foot and little jewels of light flew from her shoe. Stone. Just stone.

Was it beneath the stone? Something flowing through the core of the planet? Water? The spring?

 _Around you. Above you. Beneath you. Around you._ Words, images, jumbled and tangled together. The cave surrounding her. Tree roots shooting into the ground. Herself, running along the surface of the planet like a bug. A flowing string of connection between the tiny girl and the presence that surrounded her.

_First._

_You—are—the—first._

First? She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to make sense of the jumble of ideas that assaulted her. _First? What are you?_

_First—to—find—me._

Her eyes popped open. Was she the first to set foot in these caves? She took a careful step forward, out into the great, dark expanse. Her hand drifted to her staff. Was it the sort of thing one could fight with a staff?

Well—it didn’t seem hostile.

 _Where are you? Here, in the cave?_ The jumble of images flashed through her mind again. _Surrounding—around me—above me—below me. First—to—find—me._ The thoughts formed jerkily, as if it wasn’t used to speaking in words. _First—to—able—to._

_Able to?_

She blinked.

First to be able to?

 _You’re a genius, Rey._ The Doctor’s words flashed through her mind. She remembered the creatures from the Revolution, saying she had mental capabilities above many humans. The psychic paper, the newspapers. 

_Has no one ever been able to speak to you?_ The realization sent a chill through her. An existence of pure loneliness, never speaking to another living being. Trying to speak to the humans that walked about above it, but never reaching them. She dropped to her knees, pressing her hands into the stone. _Is that why you’re so lonely?_

_Yes—yes._

She closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath. The presence felt like an eager puppy, attacking her with an influx of hugs and kisses.

She wished she could hug it back.

_Please—is there any way you can show yourself? Can I see you?_

_See? See…._ for a long moment, it seemed to be puzzling out the word. She could feel it probing around in her mind as if trying to understand. And yet—it didn’t feel _wrong._ It felt like a friendly child, asking odd questions as children often did. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to focus on giving it a sense of _seeing—_ of blue sky, rolls of sand, sun through the trees, shadowy caverns.

She could feel the realization sear through her like a burst of laughter.

_See! Yes! See! Open—eyes!_

Hope flooded through her and she opened her eyes with a gasp. She would finally be able to see the creature!

Darkness.

Nothing but darkness.

She slumped.

_I can’t—_

_Yes! Yes! See!_ The presence seemed eager, as if it wanted her to understand. _Around you! Beneath you! Core. My core! I am—me. I am—planet?_

She let out a little gasp. Everything snapped together like puzzle pieces in her mind. _Planet?_

It seemed proud of itself. _Yes! I am planet!_

“You’re the planet!” The words echoed around the cavernous expanse and she jumped to her feet, grinning. “You’re alive! The planet’s alive!” Of course—it all made so much sense! The presence _had_ been beneath her, hidden in the core! The water, bubbling up from the spring—which bubbled up from the core. The—

Pain?

_Pain?_

_I felt your pain._

A slight shudder ran through the stone floor, and pain burst in her mind. She slumped forward, gasping. A memory—it was only a memory. A memory. 

The planet’s memory.

More memories, like a flood. Waves of pain, earthquakes rippling across the surface. The planet, crying out and groaning, trying to speak to the humans, begging them to stop—

 _Who are they?_ She nearly shouted the words in her mind. _What have they done to you?_

Drills. Drills, like white-hot needles. Splitting rocks, collecting bits of the planet itself. Clawing away its life-force, bit by bit.

Pain.

Pain.

Pain.

More drills. Deeper, deeper, closer to the core like scraping along a raw wound. Shuddering pain, releasing itself in earthquakes.

_Mines._

_They don’t know—they don’t know you’re alive._ The realization seared through her with a pain so sharp she could almost feel it. They were hurting the planet, coming closer and closer to its core. What would happen when the mines reached its core? 

She hugged her arms around herself and shuddered at the thought.

She had to do something. She stood, her hand going to her staff. Whoever they were, wherever they were, she was going to find them. And she was going to stop them. 


	10. Chapter 9

She didn’t know how long she ran.

The planet’s lifeforce flowed beneath her, guiding her forward, through the darkness. She almost felt as if she could see—as if, somehow, the planet had given her one giant map in her mind, a map she could follow with her eyes closed. The floor slanted down again, down, down, jagged walls stretching away into darkness—and then, light.

Manmade light.

_The mines?_

She forced herself to a stop. The planet urged her further, like a rushing river catching at her feet, but she held her ground. She needed a plan. If she was going to do anything, she needed a plan. Was there some switch? Some way to stop the operation?

She needed to talk to the operators, the owners. They needed to know they were hurting another living being—

She started forward, eyes glued to the pinprick of light like a lifeline until it grew larger, larger, larger. The tunnel opened up suddenly into a giant cavern, the walls jagged as if they had cracked in half to open the expanse. A giant metal machine filled the cave, spiraling away into darkness below. _A drill._ Industrial lighting cast harsh shadows about the room, and she blinked in the sudden light.

_I rather like the sunlight better._

As her eyes adjusted, she saw that she stood on a ledge which wrapped around the walls, and her feet nudged over the edge.

She gasped and jumped back, sending a panicked thought out to the planet. _Why did you bring me here? Were you trying to throw me off the edge?_ She bit back the sudden anger and took a deep breath. Of course it wasn’t. It probably didn’t realize humans could die by falling from high places. _Take me to a person. Someone I can talk to—I’m going to save you. You hear that? I’m going to save you._

The planet nudged her forward.

Keeping her back pressed to the wall, she edged around the ledge. Tunnels led off in all directions and she slipped into the first one she reached, without even waiting for the planet’s nudge. She didn’t like that precipice. She would fall right into the heart of a drill—which, she realized with a sudden shudder, could start at any moment.

She just stood there in the corridor for a moment, trying to formulate some sort of plan. Obviously this one was inhabited, as it was lit with cool, pale light and the floor was smoothed away by the constant tracking of people and machines. 

Voices echoed down the corridor and she had her staff out in an instant. Whoever hurt this planet, they would pay. They would—

Two people emerged around the corner, and she was on them in an instant, her staff pointed at the taller one’s face.

She just stood there for a moment.

And her staff clattered to the ground.

“Doctor!” She nearly fell forward, wrapping her arms around his torso and squeezing him tight. “You’re alright! I thought—I thought—”

“Rey!” He nearly lifted her from her feet, laughing, and twirled her about in a circle. The air rushed past her and she grinned and nuzzled into his shoulder as soon as her feet hit the ground. 

“Doctor…”

“Ohhh, I nearly forgot!” He stepped back and motioned to the young woman who stood at his side. Slight, blond-haired, and nearly swallowed by a large furry coat, she looked oddly familiar. Something in her soul tugged towards her, drew her like a magnet. She took a step forward, and their eyes met.

“Katerina!” The name burst out before she could stop it. 

The girl looked up, her eyes widening. “You know my name?”

Rey blinked. How had she known—the planet. “The planet. It’s trying to speak to you—”

The Doctor’s eyebrows shot up. “The planet?”

“Yes! It’s alive, and it spoke to me—and it’s trying to speak to you.” She turned to Katerina. “It likes you. Somehow, you’re sort of able to speak to it.”

The Doctor nodded. “Yep. Slight psychic ability. Well, more like an unusual sensitivity, but you know—wait. You can talk to it? The planet’s _alive_?” His eyes widened. “Oh. Ohhhh. That explains everything!” He grabbed the girl by her shoulders, nearly shaking her. “Don’t you see? Your name! It was your name! It’s trying to tell you…” He trailed off and looked at Rey. “What’s it trying to tell her?”

Rey and Katerina spoke at once.

“It’s…”

“It’s in pain!”

“You can feel it too?” Rey stepped over to the girl, brushing past the Doctor with a slightly scolding glance his direction. “You can speak to it?”

She looked away. “I try,” she murmured. “But I can’t quite—”

“Rey—you brilliant girl!” A grin split the Doctor’s face. “Superior mental powers, indeed! I knew it from the minute you looked at the psychic paper, but—”

“Doctor.” She put a hand on his arm, looking up at him. “Doctor, we can talk about my abilities later. We’ve got to save the planet. The mines, they’re—”

“They’re hurting it—they’re killing it, I think.” Katerina turned away, hugging her arms around herself. “I don’t know, but it’s in pain, Doctor. Rey. We’ve got to—”

“Drills.” Every hint of a smile dropped from the Doctor’s voice. “Earthquakes. Of course. They’re drilling out its life-force. Safety inspector indeed. And I thought I was here for the safety of the people!” He turned, and marched off down the hallway, his coat fluttering behind him. Rey and Katerina scrambled to keep up. “Of course it’s in pain. Well, we’re going to stop it! We’re going to go in, and we’re going to turn off those mines.” His eyes darkened. “And we’re going to make sure the commander knows—”

“Make sure the commander knows what?”

The three of them froze.

Edrin Lokovich stood at the end of the hallway, his arms crossed. 


	11. Chapter 10

“Father!” Katerina faced him, fire flashing in her eyes. “This planet’s alive, and you’re hurting it! And you knew, didn’t you? All this time, that’s why you kept me locked up in my room and told me I’d gone mad. And just for a little money.” Her voice wavered and the words tumbled over each other. “I don’t care about your little fortune and I don’t want a cent of it if it means you have to crack the planet open and sell pieces of its soul like shiny jewels!”

“Energy!” the Doctor burst out. “That’s it! You’re using the energy of the planet’s life-force and selling—to power machines. You’re tearing off pieces of its soul and selling them, Edrin.”

_Energy…the glowing water._

_Everything on this planet is part of its soul._ Rey brushed her fingers over the gash on her arm. Well, the planet didn’t seem to mind using its life-force to heal her.

Maybe that was a natural effect, though. 

Or maybe it had done it on purpose. Because it—because it liked her? 

She closed her eyes, her grip tightening on her staff. 

For a moment, the commander just stared. “What the blazes are you talking about? You’re crazy, the both of you.” He started forward, pushing his way past them. “I’ve come to talk to my workers. Now get out of my way.”

“No you’re not.” Rey was on him in an instant, her staff pointed at his face. “You’re stopping right here, and you’re listening to us. You own this operation, you—you—”

The planet shivered beneath her.

It hadn’t known who he was before?

Had she just told it?

He crossed his arms and leveled a sharp glare at her. “First of all, get that stick out of my face. Secondly, yes, I own these mines. Your point?”

“You’re wracking this planet with pain.” Her voice was hot. “Every time you start those drills you’re tearing it apart. Don’t you get it? You’re hurting a living thing! You could—you could kill it!”

He leaned against the wall, arms still crossed, his steady glare unshaken. “You’re as crazy as your strange companion. And I’ll have the guards on you in a moment. Just like…” He snapped. “That.”

A gentle hand laid on her arm and she turned, her staff lowering. Katerina looked up at her, her eyes pools of tears. “Rey, that’s…that’s my father.” Her voice wavered. “Please don’t…don’t hurt him. Father…father, please.” She turned away, and Rey’s grip on her staff loosened, just a bit. “Surely you can find another planet. Another operation. You’re hurting it…”

Edrin grabbed her staff by the tip and shoved it out of his way. “No.” He stalked past the little group without another glance in their direction. “A planet can’t feel. Now leave, before I call the guards on you.”

“You do an awful lot of threatening for somebody who hasn’t called the guards yet.” The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “Why don’t you just do it? Call the guards?”

Rey’s eyes went wide and she opened her mouth to shout at him. Did he _want_ to get them arrested?

Well, knowing the Doctor…he probably did.

She huffed a sigh.

Edrin flicked a button on a small communicator at his waist, his sharp gaze fixed steadily on the Doctor. “There you are, Doctor. The guards will be here in one minute. Good to see you. Katerina, come with me.”

She stood up straighter, meeting his gaze steadily. “No.”

“I said _come with me._ ” He grabbed her by the arm and jerked her forward. “They’re bad for you. They’re feeding your morbid fantasies. I’m going to get you evaluated. Come along.”

The tromp of boots in the hall.

Rey’s hand tightened around her staff. Guards—she could take them on. She edged in front of the Doctor, moving to a fighting stance.

Tromp, tromp.

Three humanoid droids marched around the corner, all metal and bulk. They could snap her staff in half if they so much as touched it—and they could snap her in half, too. A thousand options flashed through her mind. Run? Try to hide? Get captured and try to break out? Steal the—

Steal the controller.

In a flash of a second, she had a plan. Her eyes went to the communicator at the commander’s waist. Tromp, tromp. He was distracted with his daughter. Right—now—

She lunged, landing a crack against his head, whirled, and smacked him in the ribs. He doubled over and went to his knees, groaning. Her staff at the ready, she circled him. She just had to grab the controller—

“Rey!” The Doctor’s voice broke through her focus, and for a moment, her grip loosened. Edrin jumped to his feet and lunged forward, pinning her against the wall, his fingers pressed into her upper arms. Her staff clattered to the floor. She winced and strained against his grip, edging her foot forward. Could she reach her staff? Maybe flip it up towards her? 

“Father—please. Listen to me.” Katerina ran forward, her hair flying about her face. “Listen to me! It’s true! I’ve seen it—it—it’s trying to communicate with me!”

“The alarms were a glitch,” he growled, and Rey could feel his breath on her face. He could snap her in half as readily as the guards, which stood impassively at the end of the corridor, awaiting orders. One burst of struggle, and maybe she could get a hold of the controller—wait—alarms?

“Alarms?” The Doctor’s eyebrows shot up and he crossed his arms, staring at Edrin. “What alarms? You mean the ones you—oh. Ohhhh. The ones you silenced?”

Edrin let Rey go. She slumped against the wall for a moment, taking a deep breath before lunging for her staff.

“They were a glitch!” he bellowed, and he seemed to tower over the Doctor, fists clenched and eyes flashing. “They told me there was a lifeform in the mines but that wasn’t possible! So I turned them off! What I do with my operation is my own business, Doctor, and you have no right—”

The Doctor crossed his arms and leveled a dark gaze at the commander. “Oh, but I do. I made a promise, a long time ago I made a promise, and I’m keeping it. Innocent lives—they’re under my protection. And you’ve caught an innocent life in your little money-making scheme and I’ll not let that pass.”

“You knew!” Katerina’s voice was hot. “All this time, you knew! And you turned it off! You just—silenced it—”

Edrin flicked a button on his communicator.

The guards marched forward.

Before she could move, before she could even tighten her grip on her staff, it was snatched from her. Metal bit into her arm like claws and she bit her lip, trying not to cry out. The guard twisted her arm behind her back. Through a haze of pain, she saw another guard approaching the Doctor, and another reaching for—

Katerina?

 _She doesn’t deserve this!_ Rey strained against the guard’s grip but the metal of its hand remained cold and unmoving. She heard Katerina let out a little whimper as the guard clamped its hand onto her shoulder. _No…no…_

Edrin marched past them without a glance in their direction. “Katerina, you’ll be taken back to your room. We’ll talk later.” He stepped out of the tunnel and onto the ledge. “Start the mines again!” he barked. 


	12. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My mom (i.e. my proofreader) yelled at me about this chapter. Ehehehe this makes my author’s heart so happy. xD

Edrin’s shout echoed across the cavern and into the tunnel. The ground seemed to roil beneath her, roil with anger, pain, tears. She struggled against the guard, but its clasp only tightened, biting into the skin on her wrist. A glance at Katerina—her eyes were closed, her face pale as the guard began to march her toward the elevator. 

The Doctor seemed almost relaxed.

He was probably working out a plan right now…

She closed her eyes, trying to force out the planet’s cries. She needed to focus, she needed to…

_He hurt you._

The words reverberated through the floor beneath her, up the walls and through the ceiling, nearly making the air vibrate.

_He hurt you._

As if from the outside, she saw him slamming her into the wall, twisting her arm behind her back, calling the guards on her. She saw the guard clamping its hand around her wrist. Her shoulder throbbed as the guard slammed her hands behind her, and she heard the snap of metal handcuffs, chafing on the already-raw skin of her arm. 

For a moment, she couldn’t tell where she stopped and where the planet began.

_He hurt you._

Edrin stood on the ledge, a sharp silhouette against the harsh light of the mines.

And suddenly, she knew what the planet planned to do.

One little earthquake, one slight shift, and—

“No!” Her voice echoed down the hallway. She closed her eyes, trying to quell bubbling anger. _No—don’t do this! Don’t kill him!_

But her urgings were like a twig in the face of a flood. She could feel it welling up like a fountain about to burst forth. The ground vibrated beneath her.

She struggled against the handcuffs. He couldn’t just die. He couldn’t—“Doctor!” She choked on the word. “Do something!” 

A slight movement. She turned, just a little. Katerina drew in a deep breath—and slipped free of the guard’s grasp, leaving her coat hanging in its hands.

“Father!” Running feet. A flash of movement. “Father—no!”

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to channel herself into the planet. It didn’t know what it was about to do. It was going to kill Katerina’s father. It was going to take a life. _Please—stop—_

The ground lurched. The walls cracked around them. Edrin flailed, grasping for balance as his foot slipped over the edge. 

Katerina slammed into him, throwing her arms around his waist. He stumbled to the side. Stones flew from the walls, and the entrance to the tunnel cracked and slid sideways. The mines screeched, metal against metal. 

The ground lurched again, a burst of pain that sent red flashing across Rey’s vision. The ledged cracked in half beneath Katerina. 

She shoved her father onto solid ground as she fell. 


	13. Chapter 12

“Turn off the mines!” Edrin’s shout echoed down the hallway and across the cavern. “Turn them off! Now!”

The metal grip on Rey’s arm loosened, as if the guard were paying attention to its commander. Almost reflexively, she wiggled free and ran forward, her steps pounding against the stone beneath her. Katerina…no…no…

“Rey.” The Doctor’s voice was low, but somehow it sliced through the air like a blade. “Stop. It’s too late.”

“Turn them off!” Edrin grabbed the Doctor by the arm and slammed him against the metal body of the guard. “Do something! Turn them off now! Save her!”

Rey skidded to a stop in the broken doorway, staring into the chasm that opened up at her feet. The mines continued to churn, drilling down, down, down. She closed her eyes, trying to find the planet.

Pain. Pain and confusion and…guilt?

Did it know what it had done?

“Do something!” Edrin’s shout was tinged with desperation. He grabbed a guard by the arm and shook it. “Turn them off! Save her…”

The guard stood, a great impassive metal hulk, Katerina’s coat still dangling from its hand. Edrin seemed to slump under its cold gaze, his grip on its arm wavering then breaking. The coat fluttered to the floor and he fell to his knees, burying his hands in its fur lining. 

“Katie…” He brought the coat to his chest, crumpling it against himself like a limp doll. “My Katie…” 

“Your Katie?” Rey’s voice was hot. “You certainly didn’t act like it.”

“She was my light.” He choked on the words. “My Katie…”

“Maybe you could have told her that once in a while,” Rey snapped. She reached for her staff, her fingers closing around the cool metal, imagining herself twirling and shoving Edrin to the edge of the cracked precipice, forcing him to look into the abyss where his daughter had fallen. She took a step closer, the tip of her staff pointed at his head.

He looked so small. Crumpled to the floor, hugging an empty coat, the hulking metal guard standing over him like an assassin.

She lowered her staff.

“The planet’s alive.” His voice was so low she could barely hear it. “The planet’s alive, and it tried to…to kill me.” Realization dawned through his words. “It tried to _kill_ me. My Katie…I’m so sorry.” He buried his face in the soft fur of the coat. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry…” He looked up, his eyes glistening. “Turn off the mines,” he choked. “Turn them off. Now.”

* * *

Rey and the Doctor strolled through the forest, the morning sun slanting through the trees, the leaves crunching at the feet. Rey had insisted they stay, just a little bit longer—she wanted to wander the forest one more time before they flew off into space.

She closed her eyes, feeling the pulse of the planet’s life beneath her feet. Its core still shivered with the raw wounds of the drills, but they were closing now, the life-force of the planet washing over them in healing waves.

She smiled. A wash in the glowing stream the night before had eased the pain in her arm, and the gash was already beginning to fade.

Something reverberated through the planet’s core, something she couldn’t quite get a hold of—

“How’d you do it, Rey?” The Doctor’s words interrupted her thoughts and she looked up to see him looking down at her, one eyebrow raised. 

“How did I do what?”

“Communicate with the planet.”

She laughed. “I rather think _it_ communicated with _me._ ”

“But—how? I can’t even do that. Katerina could barely do it. You—you just waltzed right in and said hello like it was an old friend!” He grinned. “Rey, you have a brilliant mind. You’ve got the strongest psychic sensitivity I’ve ever seen in a human!” He held out a hand, his eyes twinkling. “What do you say to a trip to the whispering falls of Loryn? They say if you’re there at the right time, you can hear them in your mind. Or—oooh. How about the forests of Lyranissa? They’ve got _ghosts._ You could…”

His words faded into the background as she closed her eyes again, a smile tugging at her lips. An old friend. Yes. That was it. That was what she had felt a moment earlier.

One word. One concept, flowing through the planet like a happy purr.

_Rey._

_Friend._

* * *

_The End_


End file.
